Page 24 of All That She Needs

"He said you looked at me like you wanted to eat me."

That visibly shocked him. He gaped at me, his eyes widening until I could see the whites surrounding his pupils. Then he laughed—hard. His head fell back as he kept laughing, the sound echoing through the room. He laughed for so long, but by the time he finally collected himself, he saw me glaring at him, frowning. He started laughing all over again.

"Stop it," I told him firmly.

"Oh, Asha," Liam wiped the tears from his eyes with the pad of his palms. "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it."

"Yeah. It's hilarious," I mumbled, feeling utterly dejected. Of all the reactions I thought he'd have, laughing wasn't one of them. I felt like a fool. I knew that there was a possibility that I was reading him wrong, given how little my experience was with men, but I never thought that I would be humiliated like this. And today was just not the day to piss me off. "Maybe we should call it a night. I still have some work to do."

That sobered him up so quickly, he nearly jumped out of his seat. "What? Why?"

"If you could take the ice cream with you," I said, picking up the lid and pressing it firmly onto the tub. "Or I could toss it in the pantry." I forced a smile, trying to mask my disappointment. "But thank you. It was a nice gesture."

"Asha," he breathed, the laughter completely drained from his face. He looked positively wrecked. "Did I offend you?"

I shook my head." No, it's fine." At this point, I hated the wordfinewith something fierce. "But I really need to get back to work, otherwise I won't be able to go home."

"I'm sorry," he said softly, looking so miserable sitting across me with his shoulders slumped, despite his entire body being stiff as a board. "I didn't mean –"

I shook my head to cut him off. "I said, it's fine." I was done with men. Husband, friends—just all of them. The only men I would keep in my life were Kayden, Dennis and my brothers. It was clear I didn't know how to deal with the rest or how to act around them. I was just done.

I pressed the intercom button, and Dennis's voice immediately filled the room. "Why are you calling me?" He whined. "I'm about to go home."

"Come to my office. I need to discuss my schedule tomorrow." Then I turned to Liam, releasing my finger from the button. "I'll be seeing you, Liam."

There was a pause. Everything around us seemed to freeze—Liam and I locked in silence. Then Dennis burst into the room so abruptly that he slammed the door against the wall. He glanced wildly between me and Liam, his eyes darting back and forth. With a look of confusion, he mouthed to Liam, "What happened?" Liam could only return his gaze with a helpless, defeated expression.

"Liam is just leaving," I told Dennis as he walked up to me. He frowned at me. I was never this harsh, especially at dismissing people. I usually just endured their ramblings, even though they wasted my time, forcing me to work late to make up for it.

Liam still didn't move. He kept staring at me with pleading eyes, but he seemed unsure of what to say. After a moment, he finally managed, "I need to explain, Asha."

I shot a fierce glance at Dennis, who knew what to do immediately. Bless him.

"Let me walk you out," he said to Liam, and touched his arm. "Come on."

Looking even more defeated, Liam finally rose from his seat. Before he turned around, he said, "I'll come back tomorrow."

I shook my head. "Maybe some other time."

"Asha,"

"I'll let you know when I have time." My tone was final, and he understood. With his head hung between his shoulders, Liam dragged his feet to the door, Dennis silently following beside him. After he left, I tried to concentrate on my work again, but of course, Dennis wouldn't let me.

He entered my office with a guilty look on his face and took a seat across from me without waiting to see if I was okay with it. "I was only trying to help." He began.

"I know. But you need to stop."

"Okay. I'm so sorry."

"Just... go home now, Dennis. I need to be alone."

"He was devastated, you know. I don't know what happened. He won't tell me. I know you won't either. But he told me this. That you misunderstood, and he asked me to tell you he won't give up."

Part 11: Asha

It was already very late when I got home. I kicked off my heels, and they landed with a thud. I shrugged off my coat and draped it over the couch. I couldn't care less about the mess—I was too tired, both physically and emotionally, to do anything about it. I headed to the kitchen, wanting something strong to help me sleep. I rarely drink, but Aiden loved it. He had a few bottles stored in the kitchen cupboards, and some in his office. I decided to check the kitchen first.

"Mom," a voice startled me in the dark, making me jump. I swirled around and found Kayden standing there with a carton of chocolate milk in one hand and an empty glass in the other.

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